Mover apparatus for telescoping gymnasium seat assembly



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-uy 969 R. T. WHEELER MOVER APPARATUS FOR TELESCOPING GYMNASIUM SEAT ASSEMBLY' Filed Jan. 5. 1967 R. T. WHEELER July 1, 1969 MOVER APPARATUS FOR TELESCOPING GYMNASIUM SEAT ASSEMBLY Filed Jan. 3, 1967 sheet ofz FIGS FIG]

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MOVER APPARATUS FOR TELESCOPING GYMNASIUM SEAT ASSEMBLY Raymond T. Wheeler, Bridgeton, Mo., assignor to Jackes- Evans Manufacturing Company, St. Louis, Mo., a corporation of Missouri Filed Jan. 3, 1967, Ser. No. 606,641 Int. Cl. A47b l 1 00; E04h 3/12 U.S. Cl. 52-10 4 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A telescoping seat arrangement having a prime mover which follows a flexible track forming means. The track forming means is normally confined within the telescoping seat assembly and, when setting up for telescoping or extending the seats, one end of the track forming means may be hand carried to a location spaced from the seats for quick attachment to an anchor means in the supporting floor. A prime mover, located in the lowermost of the seats, crawls along the track forming means to extend and collapse the seats, depending on the direction of rotation A means to store the track forming means when not is use is also shown, being operativek when the one end is released from the anchor means.

The prior art discloses complicated actuators that will telescope seat structures by a plurality of telescopically fitted tubular members and roller means on each tubular member to support it when extended relative to adjacent members Another for of telescoping seat structures requires a cable and pulley system of serpentine character to cause the desired operation. Still another form of telescoping seat assemblies employs the familiar lazy-tongs mechanical means for opening and closing the seats. It has also lbeen proposed to use foldable link mechanical means for opening and closing telescoping seat stands, or to mount motors in the seat stands ffor driving Wheels that carry the stands between open and closed positions, or to construct the seat frames so that when not in use the frames can be stored vertically against the gym walls.

The present mover apparatus differes from all of the prior art apparatus in that it utilizes a Hexible track forming cable or rope means which can be quickly placed in elongated position so that the working unit of the mover apparatus can crawl along the track means. The apparatus thus constituted is simple, inexpensive, can be managed by one person, does not require special seat construction, and is easily removed and stored so that the oor area is free of obstructions.

It is, therefore, a principal object of the present invention to overcome the problems and inherent expense and complications of prior telescoping gymnasium seat mover apparatus that is quite simple and extremely easy to manipulate.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a prime moving apparatus for a telescoping seat assembly which includes a flexible track means having one end attached to a fixed frame and another end which can be hand carried and attached to an anchoring means disposed at a location spaced from said seat assembly and thereby permit the prime mover to crawl along said track means to telescope and collapse said seats, thus avoiding actual Other objects of the present invention will be set forth hereinafter in the accompanying disclosure of a preferred form of mover apparatus, due consideration being given to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. l is a sectional elevational view of a preferred telescoping gymnasium seat assembly showing the preferred mover apparatus in position with the seat assemlbly extended or opened out;

FIG. 2 is a view of the seat assembly when telescoped into its closed position;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary elevational view taken at line 3 3 in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary partial sectional view as seen at line 4-4 in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a greatly enlarged sectional view taken along line S-S in FIG. 3;

FIG. `6 is a fragmentary transverse sectional view taken at line 6 6 in FIG. 5; and

FIG. 7 is a View similar to FIG. 6, but taken at line 7--7 in FIG. 5.

With reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, it can be seen that the telescoping gymnasium seat assembly 10 is made up of a series of frames, 11, 11a through 11n. Each succeeding frame being reduced in its dimensional characteristic so that frame 11b will fold into frame 11a, frame 11C will fold into frame 11b and so on progressively until the last frame, 11n, folds into frame 11m. The folded position of the seat assembly is illustrated in FIG. 2. The seat assembly is normally utilized in a gymnasium where athletic and other activities take place on the floor 12, and the seat assembly is located along a margin of the floor 12 such as in front of the gymnasium side wall 13. In order to obtain sorne stability of position the largest frame, 11a is provided with flanged feet 14 by which it can be secured to the gymnasium oor 12 adjacent the side wall 13. On the other hand, the movable frames 11b through 11m are provided with suitable rollers or wheels 15 to make it easy to open or close the seat assembly. The rollers are of such character that damage is avoided to the floor surface 12. Each of the frames 11a through 11n is provided vvith a top board forming a seat S for seating of spectators and as a stepping surface which will permit spectators to reach the upper frames.

As can be seen in FIG. l and in somewhat more detail in FIGS. 3 and 4, the mover apparatus 16 is disposed under the seat lboard S of the frame 11n so that it is in position to perform its crawling function along the track forming means 17. Means 17 has one end secured by an anchor 18 suitably recessed in the floor 12, and its other end secured at 19 to a fixed part of the frame 11a adjacent the foot 14. As will appear presently, the mover apparatus is intended to crawl along the track forming means 17, after the means 17 has been stretched out between the anchor I18 in the floor 12 and the fastening 19. If the seat assembly is made up of extremely long sections it is obvious that more than one mover apparatus 16 can be incorporated in the system for telescoping the seat assembly. However, for purposes of disclosure it is believed suflicient to present a single preferred form of the invention.

Referring now in more detail to FIGS. 3 and 4 it can be seen that the mover apparatus 16 has its frame 20 suitably secured to structural members 21 carried by the seat S. The frame 20 supports a reduction gear box 22 on a side adjacent the drive motor 23 which is connected to the reduction gear by a suitable, exible connector 24. The motor means 23 is attached to a suitable bracket 25 which is connected by support 26 to the adjacent structural member 21. The frame 20 also is provided with a shelf 27 on which is mounted a suitable solenoid type controller 28 which starts and stops the mover apparatus in its crawling function along the track forming means 17. Within the frame 20 there is operatively mounted a drive gear 30 which is driven at a suitable speed through the reduction gear unit 22. A driven gear 31 is suitably mounted at one end 32 of a shift lever 33 mounted on a suitable pivot shaft 34. The opposite end 35 of the shift lever 33 is pivotally connected to a link 36, and the other end of the link 36 is pivotally connected by pin 37 to another link 38 which, in turn, is operable on a pivot 39 that is iixed in the frame 20. The links 36 and 38 comprise a toggle device 40 which is actuated by a push-pull member 41. The push-pull member 41 has its armature (FIG. 5) 42 Subject to the influence of the solenoid coil 43 mounted in the controller 28. A suitable throw-out spring is provided for the armature 42 so that when the coil 43 is energized the toggle device 40, through its links 36 and 38 and the push-pull member 41, is actuated to disengage the driven gear 31 from the gear 30.

As may be seen in FIGS. 1, 3, 4 and 5, the track forming means 17, when in its stretched out position, has a stop clip 52 positioned near the outer end where the hook 53 engages the anchor 18. The stop clip 52 is essential to prevent the mover apparatus 16 from over-extending the seat assembly 10. As can be seen in FIGS. 3 and 4, the stop clip S2 is positioned to actuate a feeler 44 pivotally mounted at 45 on the frame 20. The feeler 44 has a slotted end 46 which straddles the track forming means 17 and is not sufficiently wide to permit the stop clip 52 to pass. As a result, when the mover apparatus has traveled outwardly until the feeler 44 engages the stop clip 52, the feeler 44 will be pivoted in a direction so that an actuating finger 47 will open the switch 48 and hold the switch open, thereby stopping the motor 23 and de-energizing the solenoid control 28. When the mover apparatus 16 is desired to close the seat assembly all that is necessary is to move the frame 11n slightly to free the feeler 44 so that the switch 48 can again close. Suitable reversing mechanism associated with the motor means 23 will come into play to reverse the direction of drive of the gear 30 so that the mover apparatus 16 will move leftwardly as seen in FIG. l. When the seat assembly has approximately reached the position shown in FIG. 2 the motor means 23 may be automatically stopped by a second stop clip of the type shown at 52 in FIG. 5, or it can be stopped by throwing a switch to the power off position. This means of control is of known character and is believed not to require disclosure herein.

Referring now in more detail to FIGS. 5, 6 and 7 it can be seen that the track forming means 17 is characterized by being exible enough to enable it to be wrapped around the driven gear 31. In order to permit this and not interfer with the usual teeth 31a, the gear 31 is provided with a groove 31b between spaced sets of gear teeth 31a. The wrap of the track forming means 17 is such that there is very little opportunity for slippage to occur betweeen the means 17 and the surfaces of the groove 31h. A substantially 360 wrap is obtained in the manner shown.

The gear 30 is formed to match the gear 31 so that there is a companion grove 30h in the gear 30 which will provide necessary clearance between the two rows of gear teeth 30a on the gear 30 to prevent mutilation or fraying of the track means 17 by the gear teeth 30a. As can be seen in FIG. 5, the toggle device 40 has been moved by the energizing of coil 43 to its drive position where the gear 31 has been swung in to mesh with the gear 30. The direction of rotation of the gear 30, as is seen in FIG. 5, is in a clockwise direction which will cause the mover 16 to be drawn leftwardly as the track means 17 is passed through the gear 31 during the rolling of the gear 31 leftwardly along the track means 17. The feeler member 44, as previously described, has been actuated by the stop clip 52 so that the mover means is shown as having reached its outward position of travel. As can be seen in FIG. 7, the toggle device 40 has a pair of links 38 pivoted on pin 39, and a pair of links 36 connected at a common pin 37 to the link 39. The links 36 are connected to a pait` of shift levers 33 which, in turning, pivot on a pin 34. It is Ibelieved that the operation of the toggle device 40 is well understood by those skilled in this art and no further description thereof is believed necessary.

As may be seen in FIGS. 1 and 2, the track forming means 17 must be stored so as to get it out of the way of use of the floor surface 12 when the seat assembly is in the closed positon of FIG. 2. For this purpose a slack takeup cord 48 is connected at pulley element 49 to the track forming means 17 adjacent the inner fixed end 19. The cord 48 extends upwardly in the frame 11a to atop pulley S0 where a suitable weight 51 is connected. After the seat assembly has been telescoped to its closed position as is seen in FIG. 2, the track forming means 17 can have its hook 53 disconnected from the anchor 18. When the hook 53 is disconnected it will permit the weight 51 to begin pulling upwardly at the pulley 49. This will cause the track forming means 17 to rotate the gear 31 quite freely, since the gear 31 is now disengaged from gear 30, and the track forming means 17 will, in a very quick operation, be stored in a loop within the frame 11a so that the floor 12 is completely free of any obstruction. The door mounted anchor 18 is recessed in the floor 12 and can be covered by a suitable plate as is well understood.

It can be seen in the foregoing specification of a preferred form of the invention that a very simple, trouble free, and positve mover apparatus has been disclosed for quickly and easily telescoping a gymnasium seat assembly between opened and closed positions. Very simple provisions are required in any gymnasium installation in order to provide means for anchoring the backmost frame of the seat assembly in position, and a recessed oor anchor for the track formng means. The track forming means 17 must have the characteristic of being sufficiently flexible so that it can be wrapped around the driven gear 31 in order to produce the crawling function required. A exible rope or cable would normally be considered for the track forming means, but it is not the intention to limit the scope of the invention to any particular flexible track. It, of course, is understood that modifications, variations, and changes will come to mind after understanding the characteristics of the foregoing disclosure, and it is the purpose and intention to claim modifications, changes and alterations within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a telescoping seat assembly having a series of seats supported at different elevations on frames, said seats and frames being movable between extended and closed positions relative to a floor supporting said frame, the improvement comprising a mover apparatus supported on said seat assembly for moving the series of seats and frames between open and closed positions without actual driving engagement against the supporting surface, said mover apparatus including an elongated, exible track forming means, means securing one end of Said track forming means adjacent a rearward one of said frames closely adjacent said supporting surface, the opposite end of said track forming means being adapted for hand carrying to a location which is spaced from said seat assembly, said track forming means including means for releasably joining to an anchor means located in spaced and xed relation to said telescoping seat assembly, and a power operated crawler means carried on said assembly adjacent a forward one of said frames, said crawler means including means in engagement with said track forming means to cause said crawler means to move along said `5 track forming means and thereby move said seat and supporting frames between open and closed positions without directly `driving against said supporting surface.

2. The telescoping seat assembly of claim 1 wherein said mover apparatus is supported on a frame supporting the lowermost seat.

3. The telescoping seat assembly of claim 1 wherein said means for engagement with said track forming means comprises grooves means formed in a driving gear forming a part of said crawler means and having said track forming means wrapped therein.

4. The telescoping seat assembly of claim 3 wherein said groove means is formed intermediate the axial ends of said driving gear.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,683,292 7/1954 slonaker 52-183 3,352,069 11/1967 Cuna 52-9 5 2,990,587 7/1961 Murphy 52-10 3,052,929 9/1962 Busse 52-10 FRANK L. ABBOTT, Primary Examiner. 10 S. D. BURKE, Assistant Examz'er.

U.S. C1. X.R. 108-102 

